In a cellular-type communication system, a base station (BS) communicates with one or more mobile stations (MS) also referred to as a handset. To register with the base station or to establish a call with a base station in the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) system, the mobile station must initiate the process by sending a random access burst on what is referred to as random access channel (RACH). The random access burst is referred to as a “RACH” or a “RACH burst.” When accessing the base station using a RACH, the mobile station operating in the GSM system must use the maximum transmit power that it is allowed when accessing the system. The GSM system includes a number of different communication bands which are deployed throughout the world including, for example, the GSM 850 band deployed in the Americas, the GSM 900 band deployed in Europe, the DCS 1800 band deployed in Europe and the PCS 1900 band deployed in the Americas.
For example, in a class 4 mobile station operating in the GSM 900 band, output power is divided into a number of levels with output power level 5 being the maximum power and corresponding to a 33 dBm, +/−2 dB nominally. This arrangement also applied to extended data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), DCS and PCS systems.
In a GSM system, typically the maximum power the base station can transmit is approximately 43 dBm and the maximum power that a class 4 mobile station can transmit is 33 dBm, +/−2 dB. Other class mobile stations may have different maximum output power. The 10 dB difference in the downlink (base station to mobile station) versus the uplink (mobile station to base station) results in a transmission environment in which the mobile station is said to be “uplink limited,” also referred to as a situation in which the mobile station is said to be “disadvantaged” with respect to the base station. Further, a mobile station can be uplink limited if it is distant from the base station or if the signal between the mobile station and the base station is highly attenuated by the propagation media. When the mobile station is in such a disadvantaged position, the 10 dB power difference may cause the mobile station to experience degradation in its call connection metric. A call connection metric is an important metric typically used by an equipment manufacturers and network operators to differentiate their brand against others.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a way to minimize the influence of the uplink limited condition on the mobile station, and improve the call connection metric.